Controversial Airbnb ordinance unanimously passed Tuesday by Colorado Springs City Council

Not everyone involved likes it but Colorado Springs now has an ordinance requiring owners of short-term rentals — also known as Airbnb’s — to follow specific regulations.
The unanimous vote, with Councilman Merv Bennett abstaining, came after a three-hour public hearing and an hour of council discussion.

So many people attended the meeting that fire department officials were called in to enforce the council chamber’s capacity of 160. Several rooms were set up elsewhere in City Hall allowing citizens to watch or listen to the proceedings.

Many of the attendees held signs that read “protect private property rights” and “protect the right to rent.”

The number of Airbnb’s — neighborhood dwellings that are rented to vacationers — is unknown, but the council has expressed concern that the number is growing and causing problems such as too much traffic and noise, inadequate parking and declining property values.

The city collects sales taxes and fees from some property owners but those owners aren’t required to do so. Under the ordinance, property owners must apply for a license, pay taxes and obey neighborhood rules.

In the face of strong public opposition, the council rejected two proposed amendments to the ordinance that would have limited the number of Airbnb’s and required them to be owner-occupied.

The ordinance becomes official at the next council meeting on Nov. 13 and effective Jan. 1. Council members said they will review the ordinance in June to measure its impact and make necessary changes.

The vote is a relief to Rob and Estee Brunk, who own two Airbnb’s in west Colorado Springs.

“It’s a weight off our shoulders,” Rob Brunk said. “We didn’t know what to expect, what was going to happen.”

His wife, Estee, attended the City Council meeting.
“The ordinance gives clarity to us and to people who aren’t familiar with short-term rentals,” she said.

The Brunks said they’ve received no complaints from neighbors about problems at the couple’s properties, but several neighbors privately told KRDO NewsChannel 13 that they do have concerns.

“There are different people coming and going there,” a neighbor said. “Once we couldn’t park in front of our house because of the number of people parking at the Airbnb. We don’t have a problem with the owners but we were never told in advance that this would be here. I’d prefer that it wasn’t.”

A neighborhood couple, Kenneth and Nancy Schreck, said the Brunk’s newly-built Airbnb’s aren’t a natural fit for the area.

“They’re like something you’d see in Vail or the other ski towns,” Kenneth Schreck said. “They don’t fit in with the older homes here. I agree with the new regulations but I’d like to see those properties closed for good.”

But another neighbor, Susan Fleming, disagrees.

“No one gets to choose their neighbors,” she said. “Airbnb’s are here now. I wouldn’t expect them to be a problem in this neighborhood.”

In other council business, final approval was given to a plan to allocate $500,000 to provide more beds for the homeless at two local shelters.

Councilman Don Knight cast the lone dissenting vote, saying he preferred that the payment be a loan and not an allocation from the general fund.

The council also approved buying out three homes on Broadmoor Bluffs Drive that have the worst damage from landslides in 2015. The buyout will cost around 30 percent of nearly $6 million in federal funding provided for that purpose. Officials continue to evaluate which other homes will be purchased and demolished.

Finally, the council approved an increase in water and wastewater rates. The increase will cost the average residential customer $4.68 on a monthly bill. The last increase in water and wastewater rates was in 2010.